Luke 23:25
And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
Pilate released Barabbas, who was guilty of sedition and murder and whom the people desired and chose, and delivered Jesus, whom he had repeatedly declared innocent and found no fault in deserving death, to their will to be crucified. He had tried to save Jesus by the festival custom of freeing a prisoner and by having Him scourged and displayed bleeding and exhausted in hope of exciting pity, but the priests and rulers joining the maddened mob prevailed upon even the Roman governor to carry out their cry for His blood. When the two stood together the contrast was marked between the hardened, debased criminal and the noble, meek, suffering innocence of Christ. Choosing Barabbas over Christ was choosing Satan before the Son of God, a choice repeated whenever people reject Christ or mistreat His saints for unwelcome truth. Satan stood at the head of those who reviled and crucified Him, yet by that cruel death of shame the Redeemer withstood the power of the whole world and vindicated God before heaven as willing to make the greatest sacrifice for man.
Pilate's Surrender to Crowd
Pilate released the prisoner the crowd desired and handed Jesus over to their will to be crucified, surrendering an innocent man whom he had repeatedly declared to have no fault deserving death. He had tried to satisfy the demand against Jesus by proposing to have Him scourged and then released, but the demand for His death prevailed. He declared to the maddened throng that he found no fault in Christ, yet delivered Him into their hands to be crucified.
He had Jesus scourged in front of the multitude in the vain hope of exciting pity so the people would accept that punishment as enough. Jesus was displayed pale and exhausted, stripped to the waist, wearing a crown of thorns, with long cruel stripes from which blood flowed freely and His face stained with blood and bearing marks of pain. Pilate hoped the sight of that suffering would move the crowd to pity. He used the festival custom of freeing a condemned prisoner as a way to try to save Jesus, placing Jesus side by side with Barabbas and thinking the contrast would persuade the people to choose Jesus.
The one released as the people desired and chose was Barabbas, guilty of sedition and murder, a robber and robber chief put in Jesus' place. He was a notorious criminal who had claimed to be Christ, a hardened desperado and murderer. When Pilate asked whom they would have released unto them, they shouted for Barabbas, and when he asked what should be done with Jesus, they answered crucify Him.
The Jewish priests and rulers with abiding hatred prevailed upon the Roman governor and forced even him to carry out their will. They joined and mingled their voices with the rabble throng and maddened mob that shouted to release Barabbas and to crucify Jesus. Like the bellowing of wild beasts arose the answer, His blood be on us and on our children. That choice was part of the effort by the priests and rulers, working with the power of apostasy, to destroy the champion of God and truth.
What the Choice Means
When the two prisoners stood side by side, the contrast was marked and unmistakable, for Barabbas bore in every feature the hardened, debased look of a robber chief and desperado that matched his crimes, while even pale, exhausted, stripped to the waist, crowned with thorns, with long cruel stripes from which blood flowed freely and face stained with blood, Jesus could not hide His noble character, meekness, and suffering innocence, which stirred pity in some onlookers. To choose Barabbas over Christ was to choose Satan before the Son of God, and that same choice is repeated whenever people reject Christ, with each person thereby demonstrating whom he chooses. That rejection of Christ in Barabbas is repeated again when Christ's saints are mistreated, for Jesus, though the Son of God, was innocent yet killed because He told truths His hearers did not want to hear.
The exchange was a great trial awaiting Jesus and His disciples, since the fickle multitude that had once hailed Him as king would turn against Him and even professed followers would abandon Him, and He prepared the faithful beforehand so their faith would rest on Him and not be overwhelmed by the changing opinions of the crowd. The disciples would see Jesus, their beloved Teacher in whom their hope of eternal life rested and whom they thought would take His place on David's throne, handed over to the people's will while the murderous Barabbas was chosen in His place. They would see Him put into the hands of wicked men while His own nation clamored for His blood, scourged as the worst of criminals and then delivered to be crucified, lifted on the cross dying as a malefactor, and the sight would give them cause to mourn and fast as their faith was tried and their hope and courage failed because the One in whom their hopes were centered was taken from them.
On the cross He was utterly helpless in Himself yet trusting the Word of God, withstanding the power of the whole world, while by wicked hands He whom His own would not receive was humiliated, mocked, condemned, and put to open shame. Satan stood at the head of those who reviled and crucified Him, as the priests and rulers working with the power of apostasy sought to destroy Christ, the champion of God and truth. Heaven's angels watched Jesus suffer, but God did not send them to intervene, and by that cruel death of shame on Calvary the Redeemer proved false Satan's charges against God and vindicated God before the angels in heaven as One willing to make in man's behalf the greatest sacrifice that could be made.